Sewing-machine guide



Nov 13,1923.

G. s. GATCHELL SEWING MACHINE GUIDE Fi1ed Feb. 14. 1921 INVENTOR if icfidc WITNESSES:

A RNEY patented Nov. 13, 1923.

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FEQE.

a ATENT GEORGE S. GATCHELL, 0F ROSELLE PARK, NEVI JEBZSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEVJ JERSEY, 1 1 COREORATION OF NEW JERSEY;

SEWING-TEACHIN E GUIDE.

Application filed February 14, 1921. Serial No. 444,775.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. GATGHELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Roselle Park, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machine Guides, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a guide for sewing machines and has for its primary object to provide a simple and effective device for opening out the uniting seams of superposed plies of fabric which have been stitched together and presenting them in this condition to a stitching mechanism for the application of a covering or fastening seam or seams'at their junctions.

In its preferred construction the elements of the device are applied to the end cap of the work-arm of the sewing machine in advance of the presser-foot but near enough thereto to cooperate with the presser-foot and a rib or keel formed on the under side thereof to properly guide the work to the stitching mechanism. These elements include a work-supporting block adjustably secured to the cap and having a seam opening and guiding ridge or edge raised from its work-supporting surface and which is adapted to enter the crease between the plies of the previously formed seam and spread the edges of tl e two pieces of fabric. Cooperating with and overlying the work supporting surface of the guide-block are two yielding and adjustably mounted sheetmetal guiding wings having their shanks secured to the opposite sides of the end cap. The ends of these guiding wings are maintained in a substantially horizontal position and enter between the body fabrics and their opened out marginal portions and have their guiding. edges spaced apart to afford a channel for terial. V

The class of stitching mechanism preferably employed comprises two reciprocating needles spaced'apart sufliciently to penetrate the marginal portions of the fabric 'on opposite sidesof'the uniting seam, combinedwith-looper mechanism for interlooping with the needle-threads a looper or the passage of the malcovering thread overlying the said marginal portions of the fabric. This device is, however, not confined to use with this specific needle. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the upper part of the workarm showing the work in position in the guide, the section being taken substantially on the line 22,

, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 substantially on the line 3-3, Fig. 1. also looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4: is a perspective of the end of the work-arm showing the needles and presser-foot and the position occupied by the work as it is passing through the device. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the cap. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cap removed from the workarm. Fig. 7 is a'perspective of the guiding block removed.

The elements in my device are disclosed as applied to the cap on the end of the tubular work-arm of the sewing machine, said arm being indicated by the reference numeral 1. The cap 2 closes the open end of the arm and is secured thereto by a hinged exten sion 3 slidably fitting in a slot 4 in the side of the work-arm. this slot being provided with inclined side walls. The hinged extension 3 is secured so as to prevent removal entirely from the arm by a screw 5, but this screw passes through a slot in the arm (not shown) allowing the cap to be drawn outwardly sufficient to turn out of the way about the hinge 6 as a pivot. The looper mechanism is enclosed within this cap substantially as disclosed in the patent to Molyneux No. 1,08%,223, dated January 13, 19141, and cooperates with the needles 7 to form the stitches.

Secured on the end. of the cap .2 by means of a screw 8 is a worlcsiipporting'and guiding block 9 provided with an enlarged opening 8 through which the screw 8 passes in order that the block may be adjustably secured to the end of th cap. This block. as shown. is provided with a substantially central upwardly directed ridge or edge 10, the forward end of which is rather abrupt in.- height but which is gradually reduced in the direction of feed so that the rear end 11 practicallynierges into the sides of the guide. The upper surface of this guide on preferably set into a recess 13.

Cooperating with and overlying the worksupportlng surface of the guide-block 9 are two ylelding and adjustably mounted sheetmetal guiding wings 14: and 15 having their I ably made of resilient sheet-metal.

shanks 16 and 17 secured to opposite sides of said cap by suitable screws 18. The shanks of these wings are bent outwardly from the cap at 19 and so that a portion of the shanks between the screws 18 and the guiding portions 14: and 15 is spaced from the walls of the cap. Passing through this portion are screws '21 and by adjusting these screws inwardly or outwardly the guiding wings 14 and 15 may be adjusted toward or from each other and the supporting surfaces of the guide 9, thus varying the space between their guiding edges and also the distance between these edges and the surfaces of the guide 9. These adjustments may be made because the shank portions 19 and 20 are fiexible these wings being prefer- It will be noted in the drawings that these wings are provided with curved guiding edges 22 and 23 which are located on opposite sides of the upwardly extending ridge 10 and form a channel flaring to the front for the passage of the work the ridge 10 extending into this channel as shown.

The presser-foot 24:. preferably employed in connection with this device is'provided on its under side with a longitudinally eX- tending keel or rib 25 which also extends in the direction ofthe feed of the work and is located in substantially the same vertical plane as the ridge 10. The guiding elements 9,14; and 15 are located preferably just in advance of the forward end of the presserfoot as indicated in Fig. 1.

The upper side of the end cap is flattened to fit the under side of the throat-plate 26 provided with slots through which projects a feed-dog 27 cooperating with the presserfoot to feed the work past the stitching mechanism. I

The stitching mechanism employed preferably comprises, two reciprocating needles spaced apart sufficiently to penetrate the marginal portions on opposite sides of the uniting seam, combined with a looper-mecha- "1115111 for interlooping with the needlethreads a looper or covering thread overlying the said marginal portions ofthe fabric, that is, two 'needles and one thread-carrying lo'oper forming a three thread cliaiinstitch. :f Stitchingmechanism of this type is disclosed [for instance in the above mentioned'patent to Moly-neux and is not illustrated herein.

It is not necessary, h wever, that this specifictype of mechanism Ice-employed as it-is .29 which have been sewed together by a line of stitches S adjacent the marginal edges thereof are inserted between the wings 1e and 15 and guide-block 9 with the ridge or edge 10 extending between the marginal edges and tracking with the under side of the uniting seam as shown in Figs. 2 and 4:. The two marginal portions 30 and 31 are bent outwardly by the guiding block 9 between the wings 1 1 and 15 and this block together with the edges of the wings contacts with the uniting seam. The portions of the fabric above the seam are pressed downwardly by the action of the resser-foot and are pressed against the top of the outwardly bent marginal portions as shown in Fig. 3 immediately before the fabric reaches the stitching point so that they may be secured in this position by the two lines of stitches S formed by the multiple needles '7. The rib or keel 25 on the under side of the presser-foot tracks the upper side of the uniting sea-m as shown in Fig. 3 and thus assists the ridge of the lower guide 9 in properly guidi ng the fabric past the stitching point. Thus the ridge 10 and thekeel 25 track the seam both on the; top and under side thereof. After the work is started it is unnecessary to further guide the seam by hand and the operator may be preparing a new piece of work for insertion in the guides while the piece which is already inserted therein is passing. the stitching mechanism.

lVhile the embodiment shown is the pre ferred construction it will'be obvious that the present improvement is susceptible of considerable modification without departing from the scope of the invention. 7

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. A sewing machine guide formed with a work-guiding channel having side walls with curved guiding edges separated to form a longitudinally extending opening flared at its entrance, a guide rigidly supported for vertical adjustment within said channel and provided with an upwardly extending guiding ridge or edge in registry with said longitudinal opening, and means whereby the channel sidewalls maybe laterally adjusted toward or from the "guide.

2. A seam guide for tubular arm sewing machines comprising a cap adaptedto be secured to the end of said arm. a guide rigidlyfsecured to said cap and adaptedto open out antlfs'pl'leafdiflw edges "of two pieces of. fa-bricaclj'a cent. a seam theriethrongh, said edge portions adjacent to but spaced from the upwardly directed guiding ridge or edge.

3. A seam guide for tubular arm sewing machines, comprising a cap adapted to be secured to the end of said arm, a guide adjustably secured to said cap and adapted to open out and spread the edges of two pieces of fabric adjacent a seam therethrough, said guide comprising a substantially vertically directed uiding ridge or edge extending in the direction of feed, a pair of wing guides secured to the cap and terminating in edge portions adjacent to but spaced from and on opposite sides of said guiding ridge or edge, and means whereby said wing guides may be adjusted toward and from the first said guide and each other.

4. In a sewing machine having a multiple needle stitch-forming mechanism, a presserfoot provided with a keel or rib on its under side extendin in the direction of feed, a guide adapted to open out and spread the edges of two pieces of fabric adjacent a seam therethrough, said guide being in advance of the stitchin point and comprising a rigidly mounte element having an upwardly directed guiding ridge or edge extending in the direction of feed, and yieldingly mounted guiding elements terminating in edge portions adjacent but spaced from and on opposite sides of said upwardly directed ridge or edge.

5. In a sewing machine having a multiple needle stitclrforming mechanism, a presserfoot having a longitudinal keel or rib on its under side, a guide adapted to open out and spread the edges of two pieces of fabric adjacent a uniting seam therethrough, said guide being spaced from and in advance of the presser-foot and including a rigidly mounted member having an upwardly directed separating edge adapted to enter between the margins of the united fabric and adapted to be tracked by the uniting seam, a worksupport, and yieldin wings overhanging said work-support and terminating in edge portions adjacent to but spaced from and on opposite sides of said upwardly directed separating edge, said edge and keel or rib on the presser-foot being located in substantially the same verical plane.

6. A sewing machine guide comprising a central guide element having an upwardly directed ridge, a pair of laterally yielding guide arms disposed at opposite sides of said ridge, and means for laterally adjusting said guide-arms.

7. A work-guiding attachment for cylinder bed sewing machines comprising an endcap, a central guiding element secured to said end-cap and formed with an upwardly extending guiding ridge, a pair of yielding arms each secured at one end to said endcap and at its other end terminating in a guiding edge adjacent said ridge, and means including adjustment screws engaging said arms between their ends for adjusting the free ends of said arms laterally of said guiding ridge.

8. In a sewing machine guide, in combination, a vertically adjustable central guiding element formed with an upwardly directed ridge, and a pair-of laterally adjustable guiding wings disposed -one at each side, respectlvely, of the central guiding element.

9. The combination with the end-cap of a cylinder bed sewing machine, of a central guide secured to the end-cap and having an upwardly directed guiding ridge, and a pair of guide-wings secured to the side walls of the end-cap below the level of the central guide and extending upwardly and forwardly in spaced relation with said end-cap and terminating at their free ends closely adjacent said ridge.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE S. GATGHELL. 

